Vending-machine.



F. FANNING.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1911.

Patented Fb.4,1 913.-

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

arm?

P. FANNING.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1911.

Patented. Feb. 4, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2v F. FANNING.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) AUG. 15, 1911.

Patented- Feb. 4, 1913 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Suva/A coa Mow:

P. FANNING.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1911.

1,052,331. Patented Feb.4, 1913.

5 SHEBTS-SHEET 4.

Snow twp F. FANNING.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1911.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

[ 766? Rummy FRED FANNING, F WOODLAND, ILLINOIS.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

Application filed August 15, 1911. Serial No. 644,077.

11 and 12 to bind on the strip 5. The strip To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, F RED FANNING, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Woodland, in the county of Iroquois and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has for its general object an apparatus for vending post-age.stamps,t1ckets and the like.

Other objects will appearand be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts of the interior mechanisniiand one side wall of the casing brokenaway. Fig. 2 is a plan with the top or cover of the casing removed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the coin con trolled mechanism with the parts in one position. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3

with the parts in another position. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but on the line 66 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the stamp feeding mechanism and a portion of the coin slot closer. F'g. 8

. is a detail section of the stamp holder also as designated by a.

showing the frangible strip.

The device is adapted for vending any material that may be coiled so as to form a roll and placed into a suitable casing, such To illustrate one embodiment of the invention, I show a roll made up of a strip 5 of two-cent postage stamps. The strip 5 is coiled'onto a drum or roll 6 which is fast on a shaft 7 carried by I the standard 1. Between the coils of the strip 5 is a strip 4 of nonadhesive paper, one end of which is attached to a drum.3 fast on a shaft 2 carried by the standard 1.

8 and 9 designate pulleys on the shafts 2 and 7 and 10 indicates a belt connecting the pulleys. The strip 5 is directed between feed rolls 11 and 12, the, former of which is fast on the main shaft 13 and the latter arran ed on a shaft 14 supported by a yoke 15 'wh h slides in guides 16 as illustrated in deta 'l in Fig. 5? v 1; indicates springs connected to'the yoke 15 and 18 indicates adjusting devices connected to the opposite ends of the springs, the adjusting devices being supported by arms 19 carried by the yoke 15. The function of the springs'is to force the lower roll 14 upwardly, whereby, to cause the said rolls is directed through a chute 20 which alines with an openin 21 shown in Fig. 6, in the front wall 22 of the casing.

23 indicates a cup or receptacle to receive the stamps after they have been severed from the strip 5 in a manner hereinafter described.

24 indicates standards which support a guide 25 in which slides'a plunger 26 as openings 31 shown in Fig. 6'. The lower ends of the chutes overlie coin pockets 32 in the plunger or coin carrier 26, all of which is shown in Fig. 4.

33, 33 indicate coin passages in the bottom 34 of the guide. When the plunger or coin carrier is in its normal position, the coin pockets-are out of alinement with the passages 33 but when the plunger is moved inwardly for a predetermined distance, the pockets will aline with the passages, where by, the coins therein will drop into the space below' the guide where a suitable receptacle (not shown) may be arranged to receive the coins.

-35 indicates the uprights or standards for the shaft 13. As shown in Fig. 5 one of these standards or uprights forms one side of the guide 16 for the yoke 15. Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 5, 36 indicates a ratchet secured to the shaft 13 and 37 indicates a pawl pivotally connected to the plunger or'coin carrier 26.

The locking mechanism will now be described. Referring to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, 38 indicates a notched wheel on the shaft 13, 39

a pair of uprights and 40 ayoke connecting the upper ends of the uprights. 41 is a shaft in the upper end portions of the uprights 39, and 42 and 43 a pair of angular shaped dogs connected to the shaft so as to engage thev notched wheel 38. 44, 44 indicate springs connectin the dogs with tensioned devices 45 carrie by the yoke 40 and holding the engaging ends of the. dogs inacontact with the toothed wheel. 46 indicate a pair of" crank arms which have bearings 47 on the guide 25. these crank arms extend transversely of the inner ends of the coin pockets .32 when the plunger or coin carrier is in its normal position. The vertical portions 49 of the crank arms are connected to the dogs 42 and 43 by connecting rods 50, 50 all of which are shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

T he coin slot sealing means will Iiow ,be described. 51 indicates the slide arranged in guides 52 on the interior of the front Wall of the casing a. 53 indicates a guide bar connected to the slide 51 and 53 indicates a spring connected to the guide bar and to the front wall of the casing a and serving to move the slide downwardly and over the coin slots 51. 54 indicates a bearing for the guide rod carried by the front wall of the casing a, and 55 indicates a latch bar sliding in guides 56 and adapted to interlock with the lower end of the guide bar 52,

zontally at any suitable point on the strip 5 of stamps. The opposite end portion of the rock shaft is-adapted in any preferred manner to be connected to the latch bolt 55 such asby bending the said end portion, as"

shown at 62, so as to provide a crank having a link connection 63 with the latch bolt 55.

The cutting mechanism will nowbe described. Referring to Fig. lit will be seen that the stamp chute 20 has, at a point adjacent to the front wall 22 of the casing, a

transverse recess or opening 64 adapted to permit the passage therethrough of the knife 66, best shown in Fig. 6. The knife 66 is pivoted at one end to a plate 67 which extends through the recess 64 and has an openingrto aline therewith, the side of this opening cooperating with the knife to provide a shear. 68 indicates the supports for the plate 67 which are herein shown as con-- nected to the latter and to the wall 22 and may be pins as-shown at 67. 70 indicates a push rod extending through the front wall of the casing and adjacent to the plunger rod 28 and having at its outer end a button 71. The push rod is connected at its inner end to a rock arm 72, carrled by a rock shaft 73 having bearings in the upper ends of uprights 74 shown in plane in Fig. 2. 75 indicates a second rock shaft and 6 a link which connects the rock shaft to'one arm 77 of a bell crank lever pivoted as at 78,

The horizontal portions 48 of.

in a bracket 7 9. 80 indicates the other arm of the bell crank lever and 81 a connecting rod which connects the said arm 80 with the free end of the knife 66, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The means for locking the cutting mechanism against movement during the inward movement of the coin carrier and before the stamp or material to be vended, has been fully projected will now bedescribed. Referring to Fig. 1, 82 indicates a bracket suitably supported such as by one of the uprights 24'and 83 indicates ashaft j ournaled in the bracket 82 and also in a bearing 84 on the guide 25. 85 indicates a locking member securedto the shaft 83 and adapted to turn in the space beyond the inner end of the plunger or carrier when the same is in normal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

but to abut against one of-the extending side portions 27 of the plunger or coin carrier when the latter is moved inwardly. -86 indicates an arm secured on the shaft 83' and 87 a link or connecting rod which connects the free end of the arm 86 with a rock arm i 88 on the shaft 73.

The means for deflecting counterfeit coins made up of magnetic material, will now be described. Referring to Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 9,

89 indicates a permanent magnet herein shown as a resilient metallic strip arranged in an opening in each of the coin chutes 30. Each strip is fixed at one end as shown at 90, and its opposite end is normally spaced from a contact block 91 which forms one 7 terminal of an electric circuit 92 which extends from any suitable source of electric g energy, such as a battery of cells 93. 94 indicates a magnetic coil connected in the circuit 92 and 95 the soft core of this coil.

96 indicates the armature and 97 the armature shaft which (TXtGIldS through the coin chute 30. Preference-being given to a struc-.

ture' wherein the coil 94 and its armature v are located exteriorly of each chart e 30, as

shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Referring to the last named figures it will be seen that each coin chute has an extension 98 located between the guide '25 and front end wall of the casing 5. Thisextension 98 c0m-' municates with the interior of the chute similarly to the portion of each chute overlying the coin pockets but a means is provided for governing the passage through the extension 98,\such means being herein shown as a deflector. 99 secured to the armature shaft 97 and so positioned thereon as to close the upper or entrance end ofthe extenslon 98 when the armature 96 is not attracted by the core 95. In this position the deflector will not operate to prevent a coin passing through the chute and into the coin pocket underlyingthe chute butwill prevent the last-named passage of the coin in the event of the core attracting its arma- 13o ture so as to move the deflector plate across such passage. This movement of the de+ fiector plate, however, will permit of the coins passing into ,theextension 98, all of coins 100 out of the pockets 32. It will now' be seen that the vending mechanism will not operate, since the plunger or coin carrieris locked against inward movement. It will be further observed whenthe parts are so positioned, that the knife may be operated by pushing inwardly on the button-71 but will fail to cut the strip, since the'forward end of the latter will, when the parts are positioned as shown, he at the. inner side of the recess 64 of the chute. .When the coins .100 are inserted through the coin receiving openings 31, the said coins -will move through the chutes and onto the deflectors 99 then through the lower ends of the chutes and into the coin pockets 32 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. To operate'the machine, the

button 29 is pressed inwardly. This will have the effect of moving the plunger inwardly and, since the upper segments of the 7 coins 100 project above the uppersurface of the plunger and further,since the portions inward movement of-the plunger will first cause the coins to cam the crank arms so that the vertical portions49 thereof will rock toward the front wall of the casing.

This will have. the effect of retract-ing the fand the forcewhich rocks the dogs removed,

necessary to slightly rock the dogs to un-' lock the shaft 13. Therefore, the shaft will beun'locked before the-highest points in the -coinspass underneath the portions 48 of the crank arms. This will enable the pawl 37 to engage the ratchet wheel 36. and begin turnin' the shaft before the. coins fall the passages 33 so that when the coins ave passed through the said passages the latter when they are rocked by the acvthe shaft 13until the wheel is turned sufii eien ly to bring the succeeding tionpf their springs 44, will contact with a portion of the wheel 38 between the recesses thereof, thus ermitting further inward movement of; e plunger and rotation of notch thereof itsjinward movement or substantially so.

It may here be stated that the throw of the shaft 13 will correspond to' the length of the material to be vended. In the present connection-the length ofsuch throw is approxi: mately the same as the'length of the ordinary postage stamp. It will be manifest though, that if tickets or other articles .greater or less in length than a postagestamp are to be vended, the length of the movement of the parts will be proportioned accordingly. After the shaft 13 is unlocked and inward movement of the plunger is continned, the pawl 37 by engaging with the adjacent tooth on the ratchet 36, will turn the shaft 13. This will have the effect of turning the feed roll 11 and since the rolls 11 and'12 frictionally bind on the strip 5, it. willbe seen that the turning movement of the roll willalso unwind the strip from the roll 6 and turn the roll 12,- whereby, a section of the unwound portion of the strip will be advanced throughthe chute 20 and into the path of movement of the knife-56. It will be observed that as the strip is unwound from the roll "6, the latter together with the roll 3' will turn through the belt connection 10 so that a portion of the nonadhesive strip 4 will be unwound from the roll 6 and'wound on to the roll 3. After the plunger ismoved inwardly as far as it will go and released, it is retracted and restored to normal position by means of the springs 101 which are connected at their opposite ends to the front wall of the casing and adjacent end of the plunger as shown in Fig.2. When the plunger is restored to normal position the button .71 is pressed inwardly. This will have the effect of rocking the rock arm 72'to turn the shaft 73, whereby, the knife 66 will be forced downwardly through the link and lever connection with the rock. arm 75, thus the postage stamp will be severed from the strip, and the said stamp obtained by the vendees pulling the same through the opening 21. As before stated, it will be impossible to sever th'e'stamp from the strip until the plunger is returned to normal position, since it will be seen that the lower face of the plunger will be over the straight side of the lock 85 at the beginning of its inward movement and will so remain throu hout the entire inward movement thereo When. the force is removed from the button 71, the push rod is returned to its normal position by a spring 102 connected to the push rod and front end of. the casing, as sh'efiwn in-- Fig. 2. V

In order -to insure delivery of the stamp {to the vendee after the coins have entered in position to receive the dogs, which will happen when the plunger is atthe limit of 'preferably connected to extended side portion 27 opposite to the side which forms an abutment for the lock 85. 105 indicates a locking dog and 106 a spring which. connects the locking dog with an extension 107 on one of the crank arms 46 so that when the portion 48 of the latter is rocked upwardly by the coin passing thereunder, the dog 105 will engage with the teeth of the rack 104. The teeth of the said rack are so constructed as to permit the dog to override the same during the inward movement of the plunger but to interlock with and prevent outward movement of the plunger in the event of the vendees finger slipping or otherwise becoming accidentally disengaged from the button 29. After the shaft 13 begins to rotate and the coins fall through the passages 33, the dog will stillengage with the teeth of the rack 104:, since the engaging ends of the dogs 42 will bear on a portion of. the wheel between the recesses ther'eof, hence the crank arms will be held elevated sufficiently far to hold the dog 105 into engagement with the teeth as before stated. When the'dogs 42 engage with the succeeding notch, and the crank arms are restored to their normal positions as previously described, the dog 105 will move from engagement with the teeth of the rack bar 101.

Referring to Fig. 7 the inner end of the strip 5 of stamps is connected to one end of a frangible strip 108, preferably of weak paper and connected at one end to the roll 6, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The length of this strip corresponds approximately to the distance between the stamp delivery opening 21 and the roll 6 minus the length of one stamp so that when the last stamp on the strip is projected through the opening, the connection between the strip 108 and the rOll will be destroyed. This will be more readily understood by an inspection of Fig. 7 wherein it will be seen that in order to provide for the rupturing or breaking of the strip 108 the latter, at a point adjacent to its connection with the roll 6, is scored as at 109, therefore, owing to the scoring 109 and the weak nature of the strip it will be seen that as the feed rolls 11 and 12 turn to project the stamp through the delivery opening 21 the strip 108 will tear at a point between the feed rolls and the roll 6. Since the weighted roll 61 bears on that portion of the strip between the rolls 11 and 12 and roll 6, it will be seen that when the support, namely, the strip'108 for the weighted roll 61, is removed by the strips breaking, the latter will turn downwardly by its own weight. This will have the effect of turning the rock shaft 58 and retracting the latch bolt, thus enabling the spring 53 tonio've the guide arm downwardly, whereby, the slide 105 will seal the openings 31.

In order to hold the roll 6 stationary during the projection of the last stamp, whereby, to further insure the breaking of the strip 108, I make use of a suitable lock which may be constructed in any preferred manner such as by providing a lever 110 with a lateral extension 111 adapted to bear on the periphery of the material coiled on the roll 6 and further providing the lever with a downturned nose 112- adapted to engage with a pin 113 extending laterally from one end of the roll 6. The lever 110 is pivoted to an angular-shaped bracket 114 herein shown as secured to the upright 1. The structure being such that as the. diameter of the coil on the roll 6 decreases owing to the unwinding of. the said material,

the free end portion of the lever 110 will move downwardly so that when the strip 108 is unwound from the roll 6 and the extension 111 bears on the same, the nose 112 will extend into the path of movement of the pin 113, all of which is shown in Fig. 7.

In order to .prevent too free rotation of the roll 6 I provide a friction brake 115 which is adapted to bear on a portion of the belt 10 trained over the lower pulley, the said brake 115 being pivotally connected as at 116 and adjusted by means of a rod 117 screwed into the bracket 111 and having a collar 118 upon which bears one end vof a spring 119, the opposite end of which abuts the bracket 115. With this construction it will be seen that the friction between the brake and belt may be varied. -Although I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the specific arrangement and construction of parts since various changes will be made, within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a machine for "vending sections of material from a strip of the same, in combination with a casing for containing the strip and having a delivery; of means for cutting sections from the strip and means including a plunger for feeding the strip through the delivery opening, and means controlled directly by the plunger and adapted for locking the cutting means during the movement of the strip.

2.,In a machine for vending material from a coiled strip, in combination with a feeding mechanism, a rotatable holder adapted for detachable connection to one' end of the coil of material to be vended, and means for uncoiling the material from the holder; of means for locking the holder against movement after the material has been uncoiled therefrom for the purpose described.

3. In a vending machine, in combination with means for feeding the material to be vended and including a plunger; of means for locking the plunger against return movement during the initial stroke thereof. said last mentioned means being governed by the feeding means to unlock the plunger atthe end of its initial stroke.

-l. In a machine for vending material from a strip. a casing having a delivery openin means including a plunger for feeding material through said opening. a cutting means for the material. said cutting means being fully operative while the plunger is in normal position. and means movable with the 'eutting means and held against such movement by the plunger during operation of the latter.

5. A machine for vending material from a strip including a casing having a delivery opening, a material holding element within the casing, means including a plunger for feeding said material through the opening, a cutting means, and a locking segment movable with thecutting means, said segment being wholly free of the plunger when the latter is in normal position and engaged by the plunger to hold the locking means against operation during the full movement of the plunger.

6. A machine for vending material from a strip, a casing. a rotatable holder adapted to support a strip of. material, to be vended, said casing being formed with an opening, a closure for the opening, a lever for holding the closure in open position, a weight carried by the lever and serving to move the lever 'to close the closure, said weight being normally supported against closure operating movement of the lever during the integrity of the strip.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED FANNING.

\Vitnesses A. J. CEUPP, C. H. RAUDYBUSH. 

